The Racing Girl
by kandykane33
Summary: summary inside... i will change the rating once i continue writing..story better than the title, which will change updated 116.. COMPLETE
1. summary

SUMMARY:

Kaitlin and her family are staying in Playa Linda for their annual family vacation. The house they own is right next to Ava Gregory. Kaitlin just got into an accident and isn't quite over it. Bradin sees that she needs someone to talk to and no one is ever there for her. He decides to help her. What happens when he falls for her and can't get her off of his mind and doesn't think she feels the same?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the show or anyone from the show…I only own the names of the people that Kaitlin hangs out with.


	2. chapter 1

Kaitlin and her family walked into their beach on a hot, sunny day in Playa Linda. She was a sixteen year-old girl who absolutely loved racing back at home. She was the bet in her division. Now, it's all over.

Kaitlin walked into her room and looked around. She set her bags down and walked near a dresser. Over the dresser was a mirror. She looked at herself in it. She had a bandage on her forehead and cuts and bruises on her arms. She placed her fore and middle fingers on the bandage. She closed her eyes and opened them again seeing that she wasn't at the beach house. She was at a race track. She was looking down at the track where the cars raced. Everything was normal. The crowd was cheering and, the racers were racing. Then, out of nowhere, she saw a car crash out of the corner of her eye.

"Ah!" Kaitlin yelled as she jumped back.

Her parents came running into the room as she began to sob. "What's wrong?" her father asked.

All that Kaitlin could do was cry as she stared into the mirror.

"Sweetie, talk to us. What's wrong?" her mother begged.

Kaitlin gulped and said quietly, "Racing."

The doorbell sounded and Kaitlin's younger sister, Lauren, went and answered it as her parents tried calming Kaitlin down.

"Mom! Dad!" Lauren called.

The two headed downstairs and saw their long time friend, Ava Gregory.

"Ava!" her mother yelled hugging her.

"Hey, Janet. Hey, George," Ava said hugging them, "How have you been? It's been a while."

"I know. The three of us are fine. How are you?" George asked.

"I'm good. My sister's three kids moved in with me in the beginning of the summer from Kansas. Their parents were killed in a flood accident. Nikki's around Lauren's age and Bradin's around Kaitlin's. Derrick is 10 almost 11. Speaking of Kaitlin, where is she?"

"You know how she loved to race?" Janet asked.

"Yes. It's all she ever talked about whenever we met when you guys were here. Why?"

"She moved into a different age group this year and got into an accident. She was in the hospital for a week. She's really upset. She almost died," Janet explained to Ava.

"Oh my. Will she be okay to come to dinner at my house tonight? Is you guys don't come, I'll understand."

"We'll call you if we can't make it."

George looked at his watch and walked up to the bottom of the stairs. "Kaitlin, it's time for your medicine!" he yelled.

Kaitlin slowly made her way out of the room and down the stairs.

"Hi, Kaitlin," Ava said.

"Hey, Ava."

"How are you feeling?" she asked. Kaitlin just shrugged. "Jay's excited that you're staying in Playa Linda again."

"Does he still work in the surf shop?" Kaitlin asked.

"Yeah. He works for about two more hours. Go and visit him. I'm sure that he'll be glad to see you."

Kaitlin looked at her parents hoping that they knew what she was asking.

"Take your medication first," her mother said.

Bradin stood behind the counter of the surf shop working on the cash register that needed new paper for the receipts. He heard the door open and looked up. There was a girl about his age, few inches shorter than him, brown hair with gold highlights, and a bandage on her forehead. She was wearing shorts and a hoodie.

"Can I help you?" he asked her.

"Hi. I'm looking for Jay," she said.

"He's in the back. I'll go get him."

Bradin walked into the back and got Jay. "There's a girl here to see you," Bradin told him.

The two walked out to the front and Jay froze. "Kaitlin?" he asked.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

Jay ran and hugged her tightly.

"Watch it," she said as she tried not to yell.

Jay pulled away and looked at her. "What happened?" he asked pointing to her forehead.

"Racing. I got into an accident about two weeks ago."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I'm not over it yet, though."

Bradin stood behind the counter to finish loading the paper. He listened to Jay and Kaitlin talk. He saw her life up her sleeves of the hoodie when Jay asked why she was wearing it. His eyes widened and how bad they looked. It looked like she got beat really bad.

"Oh. I want you to meet someone," he heard Jay say. Jay walked up to the counter with Kaitlin and said, "This is Bradin. He's living with us with his younger bother and sister. Bradin, I want you to meet Kaitlin."

Bradin and Kaitlin shook hands.

"How is New York?" Jay asked.

"Boring. All I do is race. If I'm not racing, I go to the movies or just sit around my house."

"How did you know where I was?" Jay asked.

"Ava told me. She said that I should come and see you because you probably couldn't wait until tonight when my family and I come over for dinner, that is if I feel better than I am now."

"You should get better. I miss seeing the happy side of you," Jay said.

Kaitlin smiled. "I got to go. I need to finish unpacking."

"Okay. We'll see you tonight," Jay said hugging her.

Kaitlin hugged him back. "Bye, Jay. Bye, Bradin," she said.

"Bye," Bradin said smiling as she walked out the door.


	3. chapter 2

Kaitlin lied on her bed as she thought about tings in her life. She hugged her pillow and rested her head. A knock sounded upon her door.

"It's open," she said loud enough for them to hear.

The door opened. Kaitlin looked to find her mother there. "How are you, dear?" she asked. Kaitlin shrugged not knowing how to feel these days. "How was Jay?"

"He was good. He's happy that we're in town. I met Ava's nephew, the one around my age."

"Really? What do you think of him?"

"I don't know. We didn't talk."

"You will tonight. I guarantee it," her mother said with a smile.

Bradin began to set the table for dinner when the doorbell rang. "Can you get that?" Johnny asked Bradin. Bradin walked up to the door and opened it. It was their guests.

"Hi," he said as he let them in.

As they walked in, Bradin saw Kaitlin wearing a different hoodie than before and her hair was pulled up half way. He smiled at her. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Are you okay?" he asked walking next to her.

"Yeah."

"Hey!" Ava said coming out of the kitchen with a pot in her hand. "I hope you're all hungry," she said placing the pot on the table.

Bradin looked over at Kaitlin and noticed that she looked like she didn't want to be there.

"Aunt Ava," Bradin began, "can Kaitlin and I skip dinner and go out to eat?"

Kaitlin looked at Bradin with a confused expression on her face.

"I made her favorite, though," Ava said.

"Then, can we go out after?"

"You can if it's okay with her parents," she said looking at Kaitlin's parents.

"It's fine," her mother said.

Kaitlin sat at the table playing with the food that she didn't eat, which was a lot.

"Are you okay?" she heard.

She looked up and saw Jay looking at her with concern.

"Yeah. Sure," she said. "May I be excused?" she asked.

"You didn't have dessert yet and I made my famous chocolate pie that you like," Ava said.

"Please?" she asked.

Her mother and father looked at Ava. "Sure," they said.

Kaitlin got up and walked out. Bradin watched as she ran out the back door onto the beach.

Kaitlin sat on the beach looking out in to the water. She had her arms rested upon her knees as her head lied on her arms. She closed her eyes.

"Hey," she heard. She looked behind her and saw Bradin. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure," she said looking back out at the water and resting her chin on her arms.

"Don't you love it out here?" he asked. Kaitlin looked at him wondering why he was sitting next to and talking to her.

"Why did you offer to take me out for dinner?" she asked.

"You looked like you didn't want to be there. You looked like you were mad and upset and just stopped crying."

"How could you tell?" she asked.

"Your eyes," he said, "For some reason, I know what you're feeling every time I see you. Earlier today at the surf shop, you looked happy but sad at the same time. I think you were happy to see Jay again. I couldn't think of a reason to why you were sad until you mentioned your racing accident."

Kaitlin turned away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to mention it. I just… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said, "I'm just upset and scared."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No, maybe when I'm over it."

"Okay. So, what do you want to do?" he asked.

"You want to hang out with me?" she asked.

"Yeah. Jay does talk and you do seem cool. Come on. Show me your favorite place in Playa Linda."

"You are the first person to see it," she said standing up. Bradin smiled and stood up as well.

The two walked in silence down the beach. About twenty minutes after they began walking, Kaitlin stopped at a pile of huge rocks. Bradin watched as she climbed the rocks. She looked back and noticed that he wasn't following her.

"Come on," she said. He didn't move. "Don't make me come down there and get you."

Bradin smiled and began to climb the rocks. He followed her until they got to land. Kaitlin began walking again and Bradin followed. Kaitlin stopped at a tree and began to climb it. She got to the top and looked down at him.

"I know. I'm a monkey," she said.

"A cute monkey," he said.

Kaitlin smiled and disappeared into the tree. Bradin kept looking up until he saw a ladder drop.

"Climb it," he heard Kaitlin say.

Bradin looked at the ladder and began to climb it. He climbed until he got into a tree house.

"Kaitlin?" he asked.

Kaitlin walked in and said, "I'm here. I didn't disappear."

He smiled. "This is your favorite place in all of Playa Linda?" he asked looking around.

"Actually, out here," she said walking out onto a balcony.

Bradin walked out and stood next to her. You could see the entire beach from the tree house. "Why did you show me if no one has ever seen this?" he asked.

"Because you're the only one who asked," she told him.

He looked over at her and could see her beauty. The light breeze blew a strand of her hair back. _Kiss her_, he thought to himself.

"Don't kiss me," she said.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Don't kiss me."

"How'd you know-"

"I may have got into an accident and might not know a lot, but I know when a guy wants to kiss me," she said.

He blushed and looked out to the beach.


	4. chapter 3

Kaitlin and Bradin sat in the tree house talking about each other. Bradin look over at Kaitlin as she smiled when he told her about his life back in Kansas. She looked so beautiful when she smiled.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I didn't mean to ask you about your parents or life in Kansas."

"I'm fine. Don't worry. I've explained it so many times that I'm use to it. Now, it's your turn to ask a question," he said.

"If you could be any animal, what would you be?" she asked.

"That's easy, a whale."

"Why a whale?" she asked.

"I love being in the water. It makes me calm and happy. If I was a whale, I could be in the water as long as I want and come up to the surface whenever I want." He looked over at her. "What about you? What animal would you be?"

"I would be some form of a cat, preferably a tiger."

"Really? Why?" he asked.

"If I was a tiger, I could attack things that I want if they piss me off and sleep whenever I want."

"Don't you get enough sleep now?"

"Since I began racing, I've only got four to five hours of sleep each night."

"Damn."

"I know. That's why my family and I come here to Playa Linda, so I can take a break from racing and have a good time."

"How long have you been coming to Playa Linda?"

"Um," she began, "I have to say about five years. People here are amazing. Wait, I take that back. Most people here are amazing."

"What did you normally do here?"

"I meet up with my friends and either go dancing, to the movies, or just hang out on the beach. We always find something to do. We have creative minds that make this place the place that you want to be when you're bored."

"Are you going to meet up with your friends?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow, I'm going to my friend, Kylie's house and we're going to go around, get our other friends, and hopefully plan to go dancing soon. Every year when I come here, we go dancing and dance on stage to whatever song we dance to before then."

"You mean like choreographic moves?"

"Yeah. It's so much fun. Maybe you and your friends should go when we go. You'll have a great time when you're with us."

_I bet I would_, he thought. Kaitlin looked down at her watch and noticed that they were talking for two hours.

"I think we should go. It's almost nine and my mom doesn't like me out this late unless she knows the person or people I am with," she said.

"Okay."

"When does your bandage come off?" he asked.

"Tomorrow. I have to go to my doctor's brother who works in the hospital. The stitches need to be taken out."

"How many did you need?"

"Twenty-five. It was a deep cut," she said looking down at the sand as they walked.

"I think I should shut up," he said.

Kaitlin laughed to herself. "You can talk about it. I just don't want you to mention anything about how it happened or the hospital visit."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

She nodded.

"What cut your forehead if you were wearing a helmet?"

"The pixy-glass from the helmet. You know, the shield that covered m eyes. When I crashed, it broke and went into my forehead."

"How are your arms?" he asked.

"They hurt, but they should clear up within a few days."

"Shouldn't they have cleared up if the accident happened weeks ago?"

"You're right. They should have. However, my arms were in a wrap that hid the bruises and made them worse because of how tight they were."

They approached their houses. "Do you want to hang out sometime?" he asked. "I know tomorrow you're going to see your friends. What about the following day? Are you doing anything?"

"As of right now, no I'm not doing anything. But, I know I will be. I think we can hang out that day."

"How long are you here for?"

"About a month."

"So, there will be a time where we can hang out."

"Yeah."

Bradin walked Kaitlin up to her door. "Thank for tonight. I really needed it," she told him.

"Thank you, too. I needed it as well."

Kaitlin smiled. "I will see you later, Bradin," she said.

"Bye."

Bradin turned and smiled to himself happy that he was going to see her again. Bradin walked to his house and noticed that Kaitlin's family was still there.

"Bradin, where's Kaitlin?" Susannah asked.

"She's at her house."

"Is she okay?" Kaitlin's mother asked.

"Yes, she's better."

"You two were out there for quite a while," Jay said nudging Bradin.

"Shut up, man," he said pushing Jay. "I'm going to bed. I'm meeting Lucas and Mike tomorrow on the beach."

"Don't you mean Kaitlin?" Derrick asked.

"No. She's going to hang out with her friends," Bradin said as he got up and ran up to his room.


	5. chapter 4

Bradin was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling when he heard something outside his balcony door. He groaned and got up. He walked over to the door and opened it. The person came in and kissed him passionately on the lips. He looked down and saw girl hair. It was brown with highlights and looked like Kaitlin's. He pulled away and saw that it indeed was Kaitlin. He smiled and kissed her back. They walked over to his bed and lied down on it with Kaitlin on top. Kaitlin pulled away and looked at him.

"There's something I need to tell you," she said.

"Okay. What is it?" he asked with a smile as he put his hands behind his head.

"It's time to get up."

"What?" he asked with confusion.

"Bradin? Sweetie?" he heard.

He opened his eyes and saw his aunt standing over him. He sat up quickly and looked around.

"Are you okay?" Ava asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said rubbing his head, "I just had a weird dream."

"Okay. Listen, no one is going to be home for the day. The house is all to yourself until tonight," Ava said.

"Yeah," he said. Ava walked out of the room.

Bradin got dressed to go surfing. He was in his room looking for his cell phone when he heard voices come up the stairs. He walked over to his door, which was slightly opened, and listened to the conversation between Jay and Ava.

"I think he's happy that she's here," Ava said, "I didn't know he could be so kind as to talk to her after she ran out like that."

"Kaitlin's a nice girl. If our age difference was different, I would go out with her. Bradin seems like a match for her," Jay said.

Bradin smiled and went back to looking for his cell phone.

Bradin met up with his friends Mike and David at the beach.

"Did you hear about Kaitlin?" Mike asked as they waited for the perfect wave to surf on.

"Yeah," David said, "I feel sorry for her."

"You two know Kaitlin?" Bradin asked.

"Yeah. She's like our sister. She listens to people, helps them, and is so fun to be around," Mike told Bradin. "How do you know her?"

"We met yesterday. She's staying in the house next to us until she leaves to go back to New York. She also knows Jay."

"When you're together with them, you better watch out. They're crazy," David said.

"They were with each other last night and they weren't crazy," Bradin said.

"That's because she was upset about her accident," said David.

"Do you guys know what happened?" Bradin asked hoping for a yes.

"She won't tell anyone," Mike said, "I heard that she won't tell anyone until she freaks out when she sees the accident in her head. So, how did you two get along?"

"We got along great," Bradin began, "She's so nice. She's like a monkey."

"Huh?" Mike and David asked at the same time.

Bradin laughed. "You two look so stupid when you do that. Anyway, she showed me her favorite spot in all of Playa Linda is all I'm going to say."

Bradin looked behind him and saw his wave. He paddled as it got closer and surfed.

After about half an hour, the guys decided to take a break. They sat down on the beach and looked out into the water.

"David! Mike!" they heard.

They looked behind them and saw Kaitlin waving. They got up, ran up to, and hugged her. Bradin kept on sitting there knowing that Kaitlin didn't want to talk to him. But, he was wrong.

"Hey," he heard after five minutes of being alone. He looked up and saw Kaitlin.

"Hi," he said as he watched her sit down next to him. "What's up?"

"Nothing. How about you?"

"Same. You seem happy," he said.

"I am. Hey, are you doing anything on Friday?" she asked.

"Nothing special. I was going to hang out with Mike and David. Why?"

"Well, my friends, Kylie and Amanda, and I were going to go dancing. I told you that if we go dancing and do those moves, I'd invite you. So, do you want to go?" she asked.

He smiled. "Sure. Sounds like fun. But, only if save me a dance?"

"No problem."

He took a good look at her and noticed that she wasn't wearing the bandage. "How does it feel not to have that bandage ruining your beauty?" he asked.

"Are you a flirt or what?" she asked with a laugh.

"Oh more than you know it," he said smirking at her. She pushed him playfully.

"Stop flirting you two," Mike said as he, Amanda, Kylie, and David walked up and sat down next to Bradin and Kaitlin.

"Shut up," they said.

"Well," Kylie began, "We have to go."

"I'll see you later," Kaitlin said to Bradin.

He nodded and let her go.

Night came quickly and Kaitlin sat out on the beach. She lied back in the sand and sighed as she thought about her racing accident. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air from the ocean. She heard someone sit down in the sand next to her. She opened her eyes, looked, and saw Bradin.

"Hi," she said sitting up. She noticed that he was upset and asked, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "I hope you don't mind that I followed you out here because I needed to talk to you."

"No, it's fine. What's up?" she asked.

"Have you ever been in love with someone and then one day they take your heart, stomp on it, and give it back to you?"

"Yeah. Let me guess. Your girlfriend dumped you or someone hurt your feelings really bad."

"My girlfriend dumped me," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said not knowing what else to say. "What do you normally do when you're upset?"

"I talk to a friend."

"Do you want to go find one to talk to?" she asked.

He laughed and looked at her. "I'm talking to one. I like being around you," he told her. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm going shopping with Kylie and Amanda for outfits for Friday. Who knows how long that will take with those two," she said.

"You don't like shopping?"

"I do. But, when I'm with them, I feel like it's a waste of time and money. I'm only going because they're giving me a make over."

"Why? You're already beautiful," he said.

"How do you go from upset to happy in a minute?" she asked.

"I don't know. When I talk to someone when I'm upset, I get cheered up right away. I guess it's because that a friend is willing to listen and help me. No one in my old town would do that for me. I'm happy that I found people like that. Any ways, are you doing anything at night tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Kylie, Amanda, and I are going over the steps to our dance for the following night. Who knows how long it will take."


	6. chapter 5

Kylie, Amanda, and Kaitlin sat in Kylie's house getting ready for the dance. Kaitlin was forced by her friends to put on make up to impress Bradin because Kylie and Amanda knew that he liked Kaitlin. The last time that she was forced to do something, as Kaitlin recalled, was racing in the championship for state and getting into an accident. She knew that make-up wouldn't hurt but hated to be forced to wear it. As Kaitlin was putting on eyeliner, Amanda screamed and turned up the radio. Sarai "Ladies" was playing. It was the song that they first danced to years ago at a dance. Kaitlin was lucky that she finished putting the eyeliner on because Kylie grabbed her arm and they began dancing.

Bradin, Mike, and David rang the doorbell to Kylie's house. As they waited, they heard music blasting from above their heads.

"Do you think they're rehearsing for tonight?" David asked.

"Who knows?" Mike asked.

The door finally opened revealing a girl about fourteen. "They're upstairs," she said pointing up some stairs knowing why they were there. The three guys headed up the stairs.

Kaitlin was so into the song that she walked out of the room as it ended and walked right into someone. She turned around quickly and saw that she ran into Bradin.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"No biggy," he said with a smile. "Are you girls ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah!" they yelled. The guys looked at the girls as if they were scared.

"We're excited. We love dancing," Amanda said.

"We can tell," David said as he and the guys laughed.

As they walked, they all talked and laughed. Mike began to get feelings for Kylie and David began to like Amanda. They got to the dance and waited to get inside. Once they were inside, Kylie dragged Amanda and Kaitlin to the floor. Mike and David followed. Bradin stayed behind and thought.

Kaitlin saw that Amanda and Kylie were dancing with Mike and David and decided to wait for the dancing. She walked off of the floor and looked for Bradin. She found him leaning against a wall staring at the floor. She smiled and walked up to him. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Dance with me," she said.

"No," he said shaking his head.

"That wasn't a question," she said as she pulled him onto the dance floor. He laughed at himself as they stopped. "Come on," she begged, "Please?"

Bradin laughed once again as she stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. "You're so cute," he said laughing as he pulled her close to him. She grinned and they began to dance.

Kaitlin and Bradin took a break after dancing for so long. They sat with their other friends.

"Have fun?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," they said at the same time.

"Are you ready to do the dance?" Amanda asked Kaitlin.

"Not yet. I just got done dancing and need rest."

"We'll give you ten minutes to rest and then meet us at our spot. We're going to go dance," Amanda said as she and David walked back onto the dance floor followed by Kylie and Mike.

Kaitlin placed her arms on the table and rested her head on her arms. Bradin put his head near hers.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked at him and softly said, "Yeah. I'm just tired."

Bradin noticed a tear escape her one eye. "What's wrong?" he asked wiping the tear away.

She sat up and sighed. "It's just that when Amanda said that I have ten minutes, my mind wondered off to my racing accident. My coach said that I had ten minutes until I finish the race as I was on the track racing."

More tears began to escape her eyes. Bradin saw her move to wipe her tears away. He got there first. "Do you want to go for a walk after you dance?" he asked.

"You came here to dance. I don't want you to leave and have a bad night because of me."

"The only reason I came was to hang with you and see you happy when you dance," he told her, "I don't care if we leave early."

"You're too nice," she said.

"So, is that a yes?" he asked.

"You can stay. I'll go."

"We both stay or both go. You pick," he said, "I don't care what you choose."

"I'll choose to go." He smiled.

Kylie ran up to Kaitlin and yanked her out of the booth where she was sitting. Mike and David joined Bradin because the girls left to go dance on stage. The guys waited and waited until they finally heard people scream and scramble to the stage. They knew they wouldn't be able to see. So, they stayed where they were and sat on top of the seats. The music to Destiny's Child's 'Lose My breath' came on. Girls walked out onto the stage.

Bradin smiled as he watched Kaitlin dance, she was really good. As she went to do a move, she fell to the ground. He got up and ran to the stage to see if she was all right. Mike and David followed. Bradin moved Kylie and Amanda out of the way so he could see if Kaitlin was okay. She got off of the stage and walked out of the dance.

Kaitlin walked outside with her arms folded in front of her. She was so upset that she ruined the dance. But, she wasn't crying over that. As she danced, she could hear the people in the audience chant her name a well as her friends'. Her mind wandered off to her race when everyone there was chanting her name because she was about to finish either first or second place.

"Kaitlin!" she heard. She turned around and saw Bradin running after her with her friends not far behind him. Bradin reached her and placed his hands on her arms. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Kaitlin didn't know what else to do besides fall into his arms. Bradin wrapped his arms around her and held her because she needed someone right then. He felt her crying so hard into his shoulder because she was so upset. Their friends approached them quietly.

"What happened?" Amanda asked Kaitlin.

Kaitlin didn't say anything. All she could do was think about her racing accident and what happened that day.

"I think it's time that we head home," Bradin said. Everyone nodded and told Kaitlin that they hoped she would get better.

Bradin walked Kaitlin and put his coat on her shoulders. She was somewhat calm at this time but still upset. She turned to Bradin.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," he said, "I told you earlier that-"

"Bradin," she began but couldn't find what to say.

"Kaitlin, listen to me. I know why you ran out. You saw your racing accident. I'm sorry I just brought it up, but I think that's why you ran out. Don't be sorry about it. You're still not over it and I understand that."

"I'll make tonight up to you," she said looking at the ground as they continued walking.

He smiled to himself. "You can make it up to me when you're better than you are now," he told her, "I want you to be happy. I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want to."

"You're sweet," she told him.

"So are you," he said placing his arm around her shoulders.

They arrived at her house and hugged. "I'll come by in the morning and see how you were doing," he told her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He kissed her cheek and watched her walk into her house.


	7. chapter 6

Bradin sat at the kitchen table eating his breakfast when Jay walked in.

"Hey, man," he said slapping Bradin on the back almost making him choke on his food. "Oops. Sorry about that. So, how was it dancing with Kaitlin last night?"

"We had fun until…" Bradin trailed off.

"Until what?" Jay asked.

"Something happened to Kaitlin last night. She and her friends were dancing like they do every year. As she was dancing, she fell. She was sobbing. I knew that it had something to do with her racing accident. We had to end the night early."

"Is she okay?" Jay asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Bradin said throwing his fork onto his plate. He got up and placed his dishes into the sink.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked.

"I hate seeing Kaitlin go through something like this. I really want to know what happened that day," Bradin said sitting back down.

"She'll start to explain it soon. I know her."

Kaitlin sat on her bed thinking about what happened the previous night. She looked at her arms and how they looked. You could tell that there were bruises if you were close to her arms. Far away, you couldn't tell that she was in an accident. She sighed and put her head back on the wall behind her bed as she closed her eyes. She moved so that she was lying on her bed curled up and holding a pillow by her head. She closed her eyes and was about to drift off into a sleep when she felt someone put weight on the bed. She opened her eyes quickly and saw Bradin lying down next to her.

"Hi," she said with a surprised voice.

"Hey," he said with a laugh. "How are you doing?"

"I… could be better," she said. "How are you?"

"Worried about you," he said moving hair out of her face, "I wanted to come and see how you were doing."

She smiled. "I'm sorry I'm mentioning them but, your parents raised you well."

He smiled and took her hand into his. "Do you feel like hanging out with me today? The others are now couples and are busy. I have no one to hang out with. And, I want to hang out with you."

"I'll hang out with you if big crowds of people cheering something on and bright lights are nowhere to be seen."

"No problem. We could hang out around here today or go out to eat or go to the movies."

"I just want to sleep," she said placing the pillow over her head.

Bradin laughed and moved the pillow away from her head. She looked at him to find his eyes gazing into hers. "I'll bring you home early if you want to sleep."

"No. That's okay," she said sitting up, "I already ended one thing with you early. I don't want to do it again."

"I'll leave you alone to get ready and when you're ready, I'll have a plan for today. Sound good?" he asked sitting up.

"Sounds good." He smiled and left her to get ready.

Bradin sat in Kaitlin's living room with a newspaper looking for a movie that he could see with Kaitlin. Her parents were trying to give suggestions on what movies to see and what to do afterwards.

"We're glad that you and her are becoming friends," her mother said.

"She doesn't have many people in her life like you," her father told him.

"What do you mean?" Bradin asked looking up from the newspaper.

"You care for her and were there for her last night after the incident at the dance. The others just left her to hang out with each other. You stayed with her and walked her home to make sure that she was okay," her father explained, "Yes, we're staying next to you. However, you made sure that she got home safely and was okay before you left."

"Does that mean if I asked her out, you two would say that it's okay?" he asked.

"If we lived here, we would approve it. But since we live all the way in Buffalo, New York, I don't think you two can handle a long distance relationship," her mother said.

Bradin's heart fell when they mentioned that they lived in New York. He knew that they were right about them not going to be able to handle a relationship with that long of a distance between them.

Kaitlin came down the stairs and heard her parents talking to Bradin. "Do you like her?" she heard her mother ask Bradin.

"Who wouldn't?" Bradin asked her mother. Kaitlin smiled because she liked Bradin, too.

_It will never work out, Kait_, she told herself in her mind, _Fuck_.

She didn't want to hear anymore. So, she walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to Bradin. He looked over at her and smiled.

"What movie do you want to see?" he asked.

"What's playing?"

He moved the paper so she could look at the movies.

"Want to see 'Honey'? I heard it's good," she said.

"Is it a chick flick?" he asked.

"Bradin," she whined knowing that he wouldn't want to see it, "Please?"

He looked over at her to find her chin on his shoulder and a pout on her face as she gave her the puppy dog eyes. He laughed and shook his head.

"Please?" she begged again, "There are girls in it that you might find hot. I'll pay for it. I'll let you pick what we can do the rest of the day. I-"

"Okay. I'll pick out what we do the rest of the day since we're going to see the movie."

"Thank you!" she said hugging him," You'll like it. I promise."

_I won't be watching it_, he said to himself, _I'll be watching you_.


	8. chapter 7

The two stood in line to get tickets to the movie. Bradin saw Kaitlin move to get her money just as they walked up to the stand.

"Two tickets to see 'Honey' please," Bradin said.

Kaitlin looked up and saw Bradin handing the money to the worker. "Bradin," she whined.

"Here you go," he said handing her a ticket.

"If we go out after this, I'm paying," she said taking the ticket.

"Oh but you're not," he said as they walked in and tried to find seats.

As they sat down, Bradin turned to Kaitlin who wasn't looking at him. "Are you mad?" he asked.

"I don't like it when people like you pay for things for me when I hang out with them. I feel bad."

"I don't mind," he said taking her hand.

During the movie, Bradin glanced at Kaitlin when a dance scene came on. Her face lit up as she watched it. He could tell that she loved dancing whether or not she was the one dancing. As he was watching Kaitlin, she turned towards him. He smiled.

She smiled back and said, "Movie's that way, hon."

"I know," he said as he turned towards the screen.

At the last dance part of the movie, Bradin looked back over at Kaitlin. He could see her moving to the beat of the song as she smiled. _Why do you have to be so beautiful?_ he thought to himself.

After the movie, the two decided what to do next.

"Well," Bradin said looking at his watch, "It's four. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know."

Bradin studied her face. She looked like she needed someone to make her laugh. He thought about a surprise he had for her and whether or not it was the right time. He knew it was the right time.

"Come here," he said as he placed his hand on her back and guided her onto the beach. The two walked for a few minutes in silence until they reached the rocks that were used to get to the tree house. Kaitlin wondered why he was taking her to the tree house. As she watched him climb the rocks, he went on the other side of the rocks away from the tree house. Bradin looked down at her and held out his hand. She looked at his hand and took it to help her up the rocks. He jumped down and put his hands on her waist to help her jump down. When she landed, she looked at him as he walked off.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"It's a surprise," he said, "Come on."

Kaitlin began to follow Bradin until they reached another part of the beach, a deserted part. Kaitlin looked at Bradin as he stopped walking. She saw a picnic blanket laid out on top of the sand with a picnic basket.

"You didn't," she said.

"I did," he said. "Shall we?" he asked holding out his arm for her to put hers through.

"We shall," she said sliding her arm through his.

Bradin opened the basket after they were sitting and handed her some food. She looked at him when she realized that it was her favorite finger food.

"My aunt helped me plan this," he told her.

"You planned this?" she asked.

"I sure did. I wanted to do something special for you. I heard you liked beaches and picnics. So I thought why not take you to both at once."

"Thank you," she said smiling.

As they ate, they talked. Bradin loved the way she found stupid yet funny things to talk about. He loved the way she always got into the conversation. She made it more interesting and exciting. He smiled and put the garbage into the basket. When he was done, he looked to find Kaitlin standing on a small hill looking out to the water.

"What are you looking at?" he asked.

She made a motion for him to join her on the hill. He got up and walked up next to her. He followed her gaze out to the water. The sky was filled with a pinkish orange color and the ocean went from light blue to dark due to the deepness of the water. Bradin looked over at Kaitlin and saw her calm and realized.

"Like it?" he asked.

"No," she said looking at him, "I love it. Scenes like this make me… they make me…" she trailed off trying to find the right words to say.

"They make you happy and relaxed?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod, "When I was lying in the hospital after my accident, I pictured myself here. I could feel the breeze blow against my face as a stood near the shoreline. I could feel the water run over my feet." She stopped when she realized she was talking about her accident. She looked at Bradin and said, "I'm sorry. I know you don't want to hear it."

"I'll listen," he said, "But, if you want to stop, I'm fine with it."

She bit her bottom lip. "Want to go for a walk?" she asked.

"I'd love to," he said.

The two teenagers walked on the boardwalk when the sky filled with stars. They walked for hours and talked about many different things.

"What makes you happy?" he asked.

"Playa Linda," she told him as she walked over to the edge of the boardwalk, "I love it here." She turned around and leaned on the edge so she was facing Bradin. "What makes you happy?" she asked.

"It's not a what. It's more of a…whom," he said taking steps closer to her, "She makes me smile when we talk about weird things, when she smiles, and just when she's in my vision. I love the way that her beauty shines in the moonlight. I love the way that she has many people care for her. I hate seeing her sad and upset because of something that happened to her."

At the time, Bradin was standing in front of her with her caught between his arms. Her gorgeous green eyes were staring into her eyes. She could tell that he was talking about her. He played with her hair as he described the girl.

"I wouldn't change anything about her, not even one hair on her head. She's the most amazing girl in the entire world. She makes me happy," he told her as their lips met.

Jay and his girlfriend, Erika, were walking on the boardwalk after dinner. Jay saw a young couple kissing near the edge of the boardwalk. When they pulled away, he saw that the girl was Kaitlin. _How could she do this to Bradin?_ he asked himself.

Kaitlin and Bradin pulled away from each other and smiled. Bradin placed his jacket on her shoulders due to the chill in the air. She smiled and kissed him again.

"Kaitlin!" the two heard.

"No," Bradin whined pulling away, "Please god, no."

Kaitlin laughed at his cuteness. Jay walked up to them with Erika.

"Hey. Oh, hey Bradin," Jay said surprised.

Bradin moved so that he wasn't standing over Kaitlin. He leaned next to her and looked at Jay. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, Erika and I were going for a walk," Jay told him, "What are you doing?"

"Leaving," Kaitlin said getting up.

"Kaitlin," Bradin said grabbing her hand.

"Look," she said turning to Bradin, "I don't want to ruin your night. Every time I try to have a good time, it always gets ruined. I'm just going to tell my parents that I want to go back to New York."

Kaitlin walked away. Bradin turned to Jay. "Why did you ruin the best thing that has ever happened to her?" Bradin asked him. "Why did you do this to her? I thought you cared."

"I do care, Bradin. I thought she was kissing someone else and not you. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"You did hurt me, though. You ruined the best time I've ever had here since I can remember. She listens to me. She understands me. She helps me with problems. She's an amazing girl and I have to go catch her and ask her something important."

Kaitlin walked up to her house and realized that she still had Bradin's coat on. She stood in front of the door not knowing why she wasn't going inside.

""FUCK!" she yelled punching the door.

She leaned forward so that her forehead was on the door. Tears filled her eyes knowing that she ruined the night right when she walked away. She turned the door knob and opened the door. She walked in and tried to close the door. It wouldn't close all the way. She looked to find a foot in the way. She opened the door to find Bradin standing there.

"Hi," she said.

"Now I know you weren't going to end our night because of Jay," he said stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

"I thought that you planned him to do that," she said.

"Why would I do that?" he asked with a laugh. "All I wanted was to spend today alone with you and tell you how I really feel."

"Jay doesn't do something like that unless someone told him to," she said.

Bradin wiped away the tears on her face. "You're so beautiful," she said as he caressed her cheek, "not just on the outside, but inside as well."

She blushed, smiled, and lowered her head. She felt Bradin lift her chin up and kiss her. He took her hands and placed them around his neck. Then, he placed his hands on her waist. Kaitlin pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Bradin asked.

"We can't do this," she said, "I live in New York. I'm only here for another three weeks. Yes, I want to be with you. But with the distance between us, I don't think we'll last."

"Let's try it out the next few weeks. If it doesn't work out, let's just be friends. As long as you are in my life, I'll be happy."

Kaitlin bit her bottom lip and sighed. She looked at Bradin to find him giving her the puppy dog eyes. She laughed and shook her head.

"Okay. Let's try it," she said.

Bradin smiled and kissed her hard on the lips.


	9. chapter 8

Bradin got up the following morning and walked down to the kitchen for breakfast. His aunt was there and had a plate of food ready for him.

"Thank you, Aunt Ava," he said kissing her cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Never better," he said as he began to eat.

"How was your day yesterday?" she asked.

"Amazing," he said as he remembered the previous day, "Kaitlin and I are dating."

Ava turned around quickly. "You're what?" she asked.

"We're dating. Why are you surprised? Aren't you happy?" he asked looking at his aunt.

"I am, sweetie. I really am. But, aren't you rushing it? She's only been here for about a week."

"Why is everyone trying to ruin our happiness?" he asked as he got up from the table and ran up to his room.

"Bradin!" Ava yelled.

Bradin got dressed and ran next door to Kaitlin's. He rang the doorbell and her father answered.

"Hello, Bradin," he said stepping aside, "She's still asleep. She had a hard time to get to sleep last night."

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She had dreams about her racing accident. Don't ask her about it, please. She's really upset about it."

Bradin walked into Kaitlin's room quietly trying not to wake her. She was still asleep. He lied down next to her and positioned himself so that his face was by hers. He ran his hand over her face and moved the hair out of her face and behind her ear. He could feel dry tears on her cheeks. She looked to cute and peaceful when she was sleeping. Her eyes opened causing him to smile.

"Morning," he said softly.

"Morning," she said with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

"I've been here for a few minutes watching you sleep. I'm here to see how my girl is," he said.

She smiled and kissed him. "Now I know why I like you."

He smiled and kissed her. He lied back down and ran the back of his hand over her cheek. "I missed you," he softly said, "I have to work in the surf shop until about four. I was wondering if you wanted to do something afterwards."

She rolled over so that she was lying on her back and covered her face. "I'll see how I feel," she said turning towards him, "Right now, I don't feel too well."

"Don't worry about it. I'll come by after and see how you're doing," he said sitting up next to her.

Bradin knew that something was up with her. He didn't bother to ask because she looked upset. "I want you to rest, baby," he said, "You look like you can sleep forever." He kissed her. He got up and headed to work.

Ava sat in her work room working on designs for a dress for an upcoming fashion show. The doorbell rang. She got up and answered it since she was alone. She opened the door to find Kaitlin standing there in tears.

"Kaitlin?" she asked. "Bradin's not here."

"I know. I came to talk to you," she said.

Ava stood aside and let Kaitlin inside. Kaitlin turned to Ava and said, "I'm sorry. I needed to talk to someone and you were the first to come to my mind."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Ava said, "What's wrong?"

Kaitlin began to sob. "All I can think about is my racing accident. I dream about it every single night when I'm asleep. Everywhere I go, I see things that remind me of that day. I can't take what it's doing to me. It's ruining my life."

"Calm down, sweetie," Ava said placing her arms around Kaitlin, "Please calm down. You're alive. That's all that matters."

Kaitlin held onto Ava tightly. "I don't know what to tell Bradin," she whispered.

"Then, you onto have to," Ava said pulling away, "Tell him when you're ready. I'm sure he can wait until you're ready to tell him. He really likes you, Kait. He's happy that you two are together."

"Can I stay here with you and talk to you about my accident?" Kaitlin asked.

"Of course you can," Ava said.


	10. chapter 9

Bradin walked into his house after work to change and wash up before he headed to Kaitlin's. As he headed to his aunt's work room, he saw someone lying on the couch. He walked up to the end of the couch and saw Kaitlin there. She was sleeping. He walked to his aunt's work room and saw his aunt there.

"Why is Kaitlin here?" he asked her.

"She came over to talk about something that's been bothering her," Ava told her nephew.

"Why didn't she come to me?"

"She's scared to tell you, Bradin. She knows that you care about her. But, she needs you to wait until she's ready to tell you. She only told me because she knew me longer than anyone else here."

Bradin looked out at the couch and back to her aunt. "She talked to you about racing, didn't she?" he asked.

"Yes. Can you wait until she's ready to tell you?"

"I'll wait until she's ready, even if she's not here anymore."

Ava smiled. "You really do like her," she said.

"Who wouldn't?" he asked his aunt. "She's an amazing girl. I wouldn't change one hair on her head. I wouldn't change her smile, her personality, or who she is. She's not like any of the girls I know here."

Ava smiled again and hugged him. "She cares for you, Brae," she told him, "more than anything."

Kaitlin woke up on Ava's couch. She looked around and got blinded by the glare of the sun from the ground. She covered her eyes and looked around. As she sat up, she saw a note on the table in front of her and had her name on it. She picked it up.

"Hey Kaitlin,

"I hope you slept well. If you're reading this, I'm probably getting a surprise ready for you. When you're awake and feeling better, meet me at Spanish Cove. I'll be there waiting for your beauty to show.

Bradin"

Kaitlin rubbed her face and sat back on the couch. "How are you feeling?" she heard. She turned around and saw Ava standing behind the couch.

"I'm okay," she said standing up.

"Did you get the note from Bradin?" Ava asked.

"Yeah. I was going to head there now."

Bradin sat in the sand by Spanish Cove and finished getting Kaitlin's surprise ready.

"Bradin?" he heard. He knew it was Kaitlin. He stood up, looked over the rocks, and saw Kaitlin looking around for him. He smiled and walked up to her.

"Hey, baby," he said wrapping his arms around her.

"Hi," she said looking back at him. They kissed and he took her hands in his. He led her over the rocks and to where he was before.

"Close your eyes," he said.

"Why?"

"Please?" he asked pouting. She sighed and closed her eyes. Bradin smiled, took her hands in his again, and led her to her surprise. Kaitlin could feel Bradin guide her to wherever it was he wanted her. She was stopped and felt Bradin go behind her. "Open," he whispered in her ear.

She opened her eyes and saw a trail of red roses in the sand. She looked at him and back at the trail. "Follow it," he told her.

Kaitlin began to follow the trail of roses. She kept looking back at Bradin every few feet. He would always move slowly. She looked back in front of her and continued following the trail. She got to the ended and she saw everyone she knew from Playa Linda there.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" they yelled

Kaitlin looked at every one of them in shock. She completely forgot that it was her birthday. Everyone came up to and hugged her. Kaitlin turned and saw Bradin standing a few feet away from her smiling. She walked up to him.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Your parents told me about it," he said taking her hands, "I thought that maybe this will make you smile and a little happy."

She smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you," she said.

"Hmm," he said, "maybe I should do this more often." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

"Get a room!" Jay yelled walking up to them as they started kissing.

They pulled away and laughed. Bradin pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her nose. They went off and talked to everyone that was there. Kaitlin's family was there and she hugged them.

"He's amazing," her mother whispered as they hugged. Kaitlin smiled.

Bradin watched as Kaitlin got hugged by everyone she knew. He smiled at how happy she became when she saw him do this for her. He walked up to his aunt who was sitting at a table nearby.

"Hi, sweetie," she said.

"Hey," he said sitting down across from her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm just really glad that she's happy."

"A lot of people are. We're all happy about what you did," Ava told her nephew, "Look at everyone. They're happy to see her smiling. It's all because of you."

Bradin smiled and felt arms go around his neck. "Thank you," the person said softly before kissing his cheek. His smile grew and he kissed her arms. She moved so she was sitting next to him. He looked at her and kissed her softly.

Hours passed and everyone began to head home. Kaitlin noticed that Bradin wasn't there anymore. She knew he had to be there because he would have said he was leaving. She walked and looked around to find him standing on the beach staring out at the water. She smiled and walked up to him. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She saw him smile as he put his hands over hers. He turned around and stared into her eyes.

"I don't know how to thank you," she said.

He kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her as he added passion to the kiss. Kaitlin kissed him back and returned the same passion he gave her. She felt Bradin guide his tongue into her mouth and fight her tongue with his. After standing there for a few minutes, they pulled apart. Bradin put his forehead against hers and tightened his grip on her.

"Hey!" they heard, "Let's go!"

They smiled, kissed, and walked off to their homes behind their families.


	11. chapter 10

Kaitlin woke up the following morning with arms wrapped around her. She looked behind her and saw Bradin still sleeping. She looked down at her body and saw clothes on. She sighed with relief. She propped her head on her hand and watched Bradin sleep. She smiled at how cute he looked. She rolled onto her back and covered her face as she thought about the previous day. Laying there thinking, she felt weight on the bed move. She looked to find Bradin lying on top of her.

"Hi," she said.

He smiled and kissed her. "Hey, baby," he whispered softly as he kissed her again, "I dreamt of you last night."

"Was it a good or bad dream?" she asked.

"It was an amazing dream," he smiled as he kissed her again.

"Can I know what it was about?"

"I don't remember. All I do remember is seeing you and your amazing smile. Everything was a blur except you."

She smiled and kissed him. Bradin placed his hands on her waist as he got into the kiss. He moved his fingers so he could feel the softness of her skin. She let out a light giggle making him smile. They continued to kiss and roll on the bed.

"Kaitlin! Bradin!" the two heard.

Bradin groaned as they stopped kissing. "What, Lauren?" Kaitlin yelled to her sister.

"Mom says you two have to get down stairs," she said.

Kaitlin looked at Bradin who was looking at her. She kissed him. "We'll continue later," she told him. He grinned evilly and kissed her.

As the headed to the living room where Kaitlin's family was, they heard them talking.

"I'm telling you that she won't do it especially after what happened weeks ago!" her mother yelled.

"We have to at least ask her," her father said.

Bradin looked at Kaitlin who stopped walking down the stairs. She looked like she was going to cry up a storm. She began to tremble as she sat on the stairs. Bradin walked up to and sat next to her wrapping his arms around her. tears began to escape her eyes as she remembered her racing accident. She knew that someone wanted her to continue racing. And, she knew that she wasn't ready for it at all. She still had dreams about it. She still saw it wherever she went.

Bradin couldn't believe what he heard her parents say. They knew that she wasn't ready to race again. She probably never would be ready. He was worried for her because whenever she'd try to have fun and be happy, that moment would get ruined one way or another. He wouldn't let it happen again. He would make her the happiest girl in the world. He would protect her from getting hurt again.

Kaitlin didn't know what to do about anything in her life anymore. She pulled out of Bradin's arms and ran up to her room slamming her door.

"What's going on?" her father asked as he and her mother ran up to him.

"We heard you two talking about her and racing," Bradin told them, "She's really upset. I don't think she wants to race just yet."

Kaitlin lied on her bed crying because she hated life. It always went in the gutter. A knock sounded upon her door.

"Baby, it's me," Bradin's voice sounded.

She didn't care if he was part of the FBI. She wouldn't let him in. she got off her bed, grabbed a hoodie, went out onto the balcony, and climbed down. She made sure than no one could see her and ran off.

Kaitlin sat in the tree house looking out at the water. She just calmed down and stopped crying. She had her arms folded in front of her as she sat there and thought. She turned back to her racing accident and broke down completely. She buried her face in her arms and sobbed. She couldn't stand what this was doing to her. she thought about what to do.

Kaitlin's parents and Bradin sat in the living room waiting for Kaitlin to come down from her room. They heard the front door open and someone walk in. They looked to find Kaitlin standing in the doorway with her arms folded.

"Kaitlin," her mother said as she got up. Bradin and her father followed. They gathered around Kaitlin asking if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she said, "I need to tell you all something." She looked at Bradin and took his hands. "I'm sorry I'm doing this, hon. But, I have to."

"What are you talking about?" he asked with concern.

She kept a hold of his hands and turned to everyone else. "I want to race again."


	12. chapter 11

Bradin's heart dropped when he heard her say that she wanted to race again. "No," he said.

Kaitlin led Bradin to the couch and sat him down before sitting next to him. She sighed and placed her open hand over their hands.

"A few weeks ago, I was racing for the state championship. Everyone I knew was at the race to cheer me on. I walked up to the finish line with nervousness that made me feel like I was going to puke. I was scared because I knew I wasn't going to win and that something bad was going to happen."

She began to cry as she continued. Bradin stared into her eyes as he listened to what she was telling him. Tears began to form in his eyes.

"I got to the starting line and into my car to get the race on. My coach and father wished me luck and left so they could get out of the way. The light turned green and I sped off with the other racers. As I raced, my coach kept talking to me through the microphone that we had. I got back to my place so I could get my tires changed and more oil."

Bradin saw Kaitlin break down. "Don't go on," he said.

"I have to tell you what happened and why I'm choosing to do this," she told him.

Bradin nodded and wiped his eyes. Kaitlin continued her story.

"I got around to the last lap and was fighting to stay in first place with this other car. Everyone in the crowd that was there for me began to chant my name. I didn't notice until right before I crossed the finish line that two other cars were under it on fire. The other car stopped. I tried to but my breaks wouldn't work. I went full speed into the fire."

"Stop," he said not wanting to hear what she went through next. She ignored him.

"All I could see was this bright light and hear voices. They all were talking about how bad my condition was. I could hear a lady screaming my name as she cried. A guy was calming her down. I opened my eyes to see myself lying in the hospital bed looking as if I were dead. My arms were wrapped and you could see blood soaking through. My head was cut up. My one leg was broken."

Bradin looked at her parents and back at her.

"As I heard my parents talking earlier, yes I became upset. I had to be alone to think about everything. The reason I was unhappy these past few weeks is because of the accident. The only reason I was acting the way I was is because I was scared. the only way I can change is if I race again. I'm sorry if I hurt you by telling you that I want to race again. But, it'll make me who I was before the whole accident happened."

Bradin began to cry as he pictured all of what Kaitlin told him in his mind. He couldn't imagine the pain she went through. He lowered his head to let the tears fall from his eyes. He felt a hand touch the skin of his cheek. He looked up to find Kaitlin looking at him.

"I love you, Bradin," she told him, "But, I have to do this."

He couldn't believe what he just heard from her mouth. She loves him. He smiled and kissed her like crazy not caring who was around them. "I love you, too, baby," he whispered as he continued to kiss her. "Are you going to stay here the rest of the month?" he asked.

"Um," Kaitlin said looking at her parents not knowing the answer.

"We leave tomorrow morning," her father said.


	13. chapter 12

Kaitlin and Bradin sat on the beach later that day in silence. Bradin was holding her in his arms not wanting to let her leave. He ran his fingers through her hair and held one of her hands. Kaitlin turned to look at him.

"What is it baby?" he asked stroking his cheek with the back of his hand.

"Do you still want to be with me?" she asked.

He smiled and kissed her passionately on the lips. He felt her lips form into a smile before kissing him back. Bradin moved so that they were laying down with him on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck making him move closer to her so that their chests were touching. Bradin wrapped his arms around Kaitlin's waist to have their waists touching the other's. He slowly moved his tongue into her mouth meeting hers. Their tongues fought for a long time until they pulled away fighting for air.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," she said catching her breath.

He moved his mouth by her ear and whispered, "I love you more than anything. I will wait for you forever if it comes down to it."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he said kissing her softly on the lips.

Bradin walked Kaitlin home and tucked her into bed. He sat there admiring her beauty for a long time. She looked at him as he played with her hair.

"You're so beautiful," he told her as he lied down next to her, "I want to stay with you tonight. I don't want to spend your final night here without you."

She nodded and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her closely. She rested her head and hand on his chest as he lied on his back.

"Good night, baby," he whispered.

"Night."

Bradin woke up alone. He sat up quickly and looked around. Everything was gone from the room.

"No," he said getting up and running out of the room, "Kaitlin!" No one answered him. He began to tell himself that she didn't leave yet. Everything in the house was gone. "Kaitlin!" he yelled.

"Bradin?" he heard. He quickly opened his eyes to find Kaitlin looking down at him. "Hon, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

He covered his face up and began to breathe deeply. It was only a dream. He was glad. He couldn't take the pain if she left without saying good-bye to him. He uncovered his face and looked at Kaitlin.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Stay with me," he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't worry," she whispered, "I'll always be with you."

Ava and everyone that lived with her went over to Kaitlin's in the morning to say their farewells. Everyone that knew Kaitlin was there already hugging her tightly. Jay looked beyond the crowd and saw Bradin watching Kaitlin closely. He walked up to him.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked.

Bradin shook his head. "I really do love her," he said without looking away from Kaitlin.

"A lot of people do, Brae," Jay told him.

"But, not the way I do. I want to be with her. She's amazing. She is the one that I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"You're young, Bradin. You will find someone else."

"No!" Bradin yelled. "I can't imagine my life without her. Watch at how I will act when she's gone. You'll agree with what I told you before."

Kaitlin walked up to the two guys. "Jay, can I talk to Bradin alone?" she asked.

Jay nodded and walked off. Kaitlin took Bradin's hand and led them to where no one would see them. She went into the bag that she was holding and pulled out a small whale. Bradin smiled and took it from her.

"Why did you get this for me?" he asked.

"It's the animal that you want be if you were an animal. Maybe when you look at this, you can be relaxed and remember me."

"I don't need this to remember you," he said, "You're in my heart, Kaitlin. That's where you'll always be. You're never going to leave it."

She smiled. She saw Bradin bite his bottom lip. "You okay?" she asked.

He took his hoodie off and handed it to her. "So the guys don't try to take you away from me when you get back."

She smiled and kissed him. "I love you," she said looking into his green eyes.

"And, I love you."

They smiled and kissed. They walked back out to the front where Kaitlin's father approached them. He told them that they had to go. Bradin pulled Kaitlin into his arms for the final time for who knew how long. He never wanted to let her go.

"I'll call and write," she whispered.

He lowered his head by her ear. "I love you, Katie Baby."

She smiled. "What?'

"It's my nickname for you," he told her.

"I love you, too." They kissed.

Bradin watched as the car with his love drove off. Everyone began to leave once they were gone. Ava walked up to Bradin.

"Will you be okay?" she asked placing a hand upon his shoulder.

He looked down at the whale from Kaitlin. "It will be hard," he said facing his aunt, "but, I'll try to survive."


	14. chapter 13

Ava watched as her nephew sat out on the beach looking at the sunset. Since Kaitlin left, this is all he could do that would make him happy. Johnny walked up to Ava and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll get over it," he told her.

"It's been weeks, Johnny," Ava said turning towards him, "Bradin should have been over her weeks ago. He knows that they won't be able to handle the relationship with the distance between them. Kaitlin also has racing going on now."

Bradin walked into the house and opened the refrigerator.

"How are you doing?" Ava asked him.

"Fine," he said closing the refrigerator and walking out of the kitchen,

Bradin sat in his room looking at pictures from Kaitlin's birthday party. He smiled at a picture of him and Kaitlin kissing. His fingers were through her hair as a smile formed on their faces. He missed everything about her. He couldn't stand being away from her.

A knock sounded on his door. "What?" he asked.

The door opened and in walked Nikki. "You really miss her don't you?" she asked him.

Bradin looked at his sister and back at the pictures. Nikki leaned on a wall near him.

"A lot of people miss her," she said, "Aunt Ava is worried about you."

"I don't care," he said closing the photo album.

"She's just a girl," Nikki said.

Bradin glared at her. "She's not just a girl!" he yelled, "She's the only girl who has made me happy."

Nikki threw a section of the newspaper onto his lap and walked out of the room. Bradin looked at it and saw an article about racing. He read over it finding out that nationals are in Playa Linda. He turned to another page in the section that read the racers that were a part of nationals.

"Kaitlin Bailey," he read, "Holy shit."

His heart sped up due to excitement that filled his body. He began to smile and yell yes because he was so happy. His aunt ran into the room.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Okay?" he asked "I'm wonderful! Kaitlin's coming back to Playa Linda to race in nationals."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. I get to see her again," he said hugging his aunt. Ava hugged him back to let him know that she was happy for him.

Kaitlin sat in her hotel room in Playa Linda nervous about the race the following day. She didn't want to race it especially after what happened last time she was in the position.

"Ma?" she asked.

"Yes, sweetie?" her mother asked looking into the room.

"Can I go for a walk?"

"Sure. Maybe walking will do you good."

Kaitlin walked around on the beach staring out at the water. So many things were running through her mind. She didn't want to do what she was thinking but she had to. She walked up to Bradin's and knocked on the door. Ava answered.

"Kaitlin!" she yelled hugging her. Kaitlin slowly put her arms around Ava to hug her back.

"How's has Bradin been?" she asked.

"He's been worried. He hasn't heard from you in a long time."

"What?" she asked. "Then, why hasn't he returned my phone calls or letters?" Kaitlin asked with confusion.

"I never got any messages or letters from you," they heard.

They looked behind Ava and saw Bradin. Kaitlin walked passed Ava and hugged Bradin tightly. He smiled and hugged her back. He rested his head on top of hers and tightened his grip.

"I missed you so much," he whispered.

"I missed you too. I thought you found someone else."

"I thought the same about you," he said, "I never heard from you. I thought that someone else took your heart away from me."

She shook her head. He smiled and kissed her. Ava walked away to leave the two alone. She was happy that they saw each other again and began to wonder who kept the messages and letters away from Bradin.

Kaitlin and Bradin pulled away from each other and smiled. They hugged each other again. Bradin took Kaitlin deeper into the house. Jay walked in and froze.

"How could you?" Kaitlin asked him.

"What?" Jay asked as if he didn't know what she was talking about.

"You never told Bradin that I called!" she yelled, "I should have known the day that you saw me and Bradin on the boardwalk. You don't care that I'm happy when I'm with him."

"How could you, Jay?" Ava asked.

"They weren't going to ever see each other again even if they did keep in touch!" he shouted, "Their relationship would crumble if they kept it up the way they were doing it!"

"This was a mistake," Kaitlin said. She turned to Bradin and said, "Maybe we should separate."

"No," Bradin said shaking his head, "I need you, Katie Baby. I love you more than anything."

"It's obvious that no one wants us together, though," she said.

"That's not true," Ava said.

"Bullshit!" Kaitlin yelled, "Whenever I called, no one gave the message to Bradin. And I know for a fact that not all of them forgot to tell him."

"You mean, Jay isn't the only one who answered the phone?" Bradin asked.

"Right," she said a little bit calmly. She looked at the three and ran out of the house.


	15. chapter 14

She stood in the tree house thinking about her life. She absolutely loved how people tried to make her sad when she was happy. She loved how people hate her being happy. She didn't know why they wanted her sad all the time. She leaned on the doorway that led out onto the balcony of the tree house. Tears began to run down her face as she continued to think about all of this. She began to move down towards the floor slowly. Once she was sitting, she buried her face in her arms and sobbed her heart out.

"Baby, don't," she heard.

She peered up and saw Bradin standing near her. "Leave me alone," she said standing up and moving to get away from him.

"Why are you acting like this?" he asked.

"No one wants us together. We should stop going out and forget about each other to make them happy."

"Who cares about what the others think?" he asked. "I won't be happy if we break up. And, I know for a fact that you won't be happy either. I'll be a total wreck if I'm not with you. I love you, Kaitlin. I don't care where you live. After I graduate from high school, I'm going to a college near you so we can be together as long as we want."

Kaitlin stood up and walked out onto the balcony to look at the water. Bradin followed her. He placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"There are a few reasons why I called," she said.

"I know. You wanted to talk to your boyfriend."

"Yes. I called to hear your voice, hear you say that you love me, and to tell you about me racing in nationals. But, there's another reason why I called and now I'm debating if it's right or not."

"Can you tell me?" he asked.

She sighed and bit her bottom lip. "That's my job when we kiss," she heard Bradin say. She smiled and lowered her head. She raised her head back up and looked out towards the water.

"My family and I lost the lease to the house we've been staying in every summer. The only way we can keep it is if we move here." She looked at him to find a smile forming on his face. "We might be moving down here after my race tomorrow. if we are, we'll go back and get our things from the house we're living in now. Then, we'll come back and make the house our own "

He smiled and moved so that he was standing in front of her. He gazed into her eyes once she peered into his own. "I'll be the happiest person alive if you moved here," he told her. She lowered her head and smiled. He moved his mouth so that it was by her ear and asked, "Why do you always lower your head? Do you not want me to see your wonderful smile?"

"Shut up," she said looking at him.

He smiled and kissed her passionately. "I missed doing this to you," he whispered when he pulled away, "I missed everything that we've done together. I missed being around you. I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Come on," he said, "I'll walk you back to your hotel so you can rest well for tomorrow."

"All right," she said.

The two teenagers began to walk to the hotel where Kaitlin was staying at. Bradin placed his arm around her waist as they walked back.

"What time is your race tomorrow?" he asked.

"It starts at eleven. But, I have to get there early to get interviewed by some people."

"Are you scared?"

"Very," she said, "I felt this exact way last time I was in this position. But, I wasn't racing against people from the entire country."

"I'll get there early so I can wish you luck," he told her, "And, don't worry. You'll do great. I know you will."

They got to her hotel and headed up to her room. Bradin stood in front of the door that led to her room. He kissed her again. When he pulled away, Kaitlin felt him biting on her lower lip. She smiled.

"I told you it was my job," he whispered, "I'll see you tomorrow. Okay, baby?"

"Yeah."

They kissed, said good night to each other, and Bradin left.


	16. FINAL chapter

Morning came and Bradin got up early to get to the track. He got to the kitchen to find his aunt making breakfast.

"Morning, Aunt Ava," he said kissing her cheek.

"Who are you and what have you done with my nephew?" she asked with a laugh.

"I can't kiss my aunt's cheek and say good morning?" he asked.

"I just never have seen you this happy."

"Kaitlin might be moving next door after the race today," he said excitedly, "How can I not be happy?"

"She MIGHT Bradin. It doesn't mean she will," his aunt told him.

"You sure do know how to bring a guy down when he's happy," he said.

Kaitlin just loaded her car out of the truck and was now sitting on the edge of the back of the truck covering her face.

"Why are you doing that? Do you not want me to see you?" she heard.

She uncovered her face and saw Bradin standing in front of her with a smile. "Hey, hon," she said softly.

"Hey baby," he said kissing her. "Are you nervous?"

"Try terrified," she said sighing and running her fingers through her hair.

He smiled and hopped up next to her. He placed his arms around her and moved her head onto his shoulder. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." She looked up at him. "Please don't let go," she said softly.

He smiled and tightened his grip. "That is the farthest thing from my mind right now," he told her kissing her forehead. "What are you thinking?" he asked. Tears began to escape her eyes. Bradin knew what was going through her mind. All he could do was be there for her to comfort her. "Calm down, baby," he said, "It's okay. Calm down."

"I'm so scared that it's going to happen again," she cried pulling away, "I keep seeing it. I still see it happening now."

"Katie Baby, stop," Bradin said hopping down and staying in front of her, "If you keep thinking about it, it will happen. No one wants that. Please stop trying to think about it. It's making you worse. And, I hate it. I don't want you to crash and die and leave me here alone. I can't imagine what I'm going to do without you."

Kaitlin felt him place his hands on her teary cheeks. She looked ahead and saw Bradin looking deep into her eyes.

"I love you," he said, "And, you're going to do great. You're not going to crash."

"I wish I could believe you," she said wiping her eyes.

"I wish you would, too," he said.

"Kaitlin," her father said walking up to her, "it's time to go to the starting line."

Bradin turned to her to find her frightened to do it. He saw her shake and try not to show it. He took her hands into his.

"You can do it," he told her. She hopped off and hugged Bradin tightly. He held her tighter than she was holding him. "I'll see you after your race," he told her. He kissed her hard on the lips and walked off to head off to her cheering section.

Kaitlin, her father, and her racing coach headed to the starting line. She looked around at all of the people that were there watching the race. She felt her father tap her shoulder. She looked at him to find him pointing to a certain section of the audience. It was all of the people that were there for her. They held up signs and yelled her name. She half-smiled and looked at her car. She looked at the helmet that her father was holding in front of her. She slowly moved her hands, took the helmet, and placed it on her head. She buckled it up and got into the car. She looked at her father and coach who were outside the car. They wished her luck and stepped out of the way for the race to begin.

Bradin watched as his girlfriend got into her race car. He could feel how scared she was to be doing this again. He went into his pocket and pulled out the whale that she gave him before she left to race again. He felt someone nudge him in the side. He looked to find Jay there smiling.

"She'll be okay," Jay told him. Bradin nodded and looked at the race track as the cars took off.

Everyone in the audience roared in cheers as the cars took off from the starting line. The cars had to do fifteen laps in order to finish.

Kaitlin drove faster than she thought she would. She could hear everyone in the audience yelling. She could hear her coach and father talking to her through the microphone as raced. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. She glanced at the screen in her car that showed what place she was in. she was in 6th trying to fight with the person in 5th.

The final lap came around and everyone was screaming their lungs out. Bradin watched Kaitlin's car as it fought to stay in 5th. Out of nowhere, the car fighting with Kaitlin's slammed into hers causing a crash. Bradin's heart stopped when he saw the cars crash. He ran out of where he was standing with everyone following him. He ran up to the scene and tried to get through without getting hit by the other cars that were finishing. People were already gathering the two crashed cars. Bradin finally was able to get through and ran up to Kaitlin's. He tried to open the door. It was no use. He looked inside to find Kaitlin moving slightly.

Firefighters ran up to the car moving everyone away from it so that they could get Kaitlin out of it. Bradin and Kaitlin's family and friends watched as the fire fighters did their work. Bradin's aunt stood next to him with her arms around him letting him know that Kaitlin would be okay.

After minutes of trying to take the door off, it happened. The door came off and they took Kaitlin out of the car. They laid her on the ground and she moved to take her helmet off. Paramedics ran up to her and began to check her to make sure that she was okay. Bradin watched his girlfriend get checked.

"Everyone, give her room," a paramedic yelled to everyone that was standing around them.

All of the people stepped back and let Kaitlin breathe. Bradin saw Kaitlin's family move forward to see if she was okay.

"She's fine," he heard a paramedic say; "She just had a shock to what happened. You can take her home as soon as you all want."

He smiled. He made his way through the crowd and up to Kaitlin and her family. They all looked at him. Kaitlin was leaning back on the car resting her head as she breathed deep.

"Are you okay?" he asked kneeling down in front of her.

She nodded and looked at him.

"I know," he said, "I lied. You did crash and I told you that you wouldn't. I'm sorry."

She looked at him confused. "I wasn't thinking that," she told him.

"Then, what are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking… how can someone like you be in love with 'the racing girl' of New York? No one else would do what you've done for me."

He smiled. "I guess I might be the luckiest guy in the world, then," he said leaning forward and kissing her.


End file.
